This invention relates to an explosive device for providing an opening through a barrier such as a wall or the like. In particular, it relates to an easily transportable collapsible device that, upon deployment, may be used by emergency or military personnel to cut a hole through an interior wall of a building rapidly and relatively safely with respect to the individuals operating the device.
In military operations, and frequently in emergency situations, it is often necessary to provide access through a barrier such as interior wall of a building rapidly and expeditiously with a minimum amount of damage to the building and with a minimum hazard to the individuals desiring access. While it is possible to use mechanical means such as axes, saws, hammers and the like, quite frequently such devices are cumbersome and relatively slow in their effectiveness. In military operations, to use such devices may prove to be counterproductive in that the individual on the opposite side of the barrier or wall will receive forewarning of those desiring access. This, of course, may prove disastrous to those desiring access in that the occupants of the space on the opposite side of the barrier may attack those desiring access with countermeasures up to and including explosives of their own. Thus, it is particularly desirable to provide access capability in military situations, with the least amount of warning to those on the other side of the barrier.
In the emergency case, it may be a situation that precludes the use of mechanical devices such as hammers, saws, axes, and the like. This may be especially true in the event of a fire where it is desirable to vent smoke from a given space or to provide oxygen to another space.
Previous attempts at providing explosive devices for opening holes in barriers such as walls have generally utilized shaped charges requiring relatively precise positioning and a certain degree of tamping to ensure proper utilization of the explosive. In one form, the shaped charge includes a metal backing or form to the explosive which, of course, will result in a heavy amount of shrapnel being thrown rearwardly from the charge. While charges such as these may be useful against heavy steel bulkheads or doors, they are far too powerful for interior walls made of plaster or the like.
Other methods of breaching interior walls have been suggested, including conventional block-type explosives, launched high explosives, focussed charges and other types of explosives including petards. Mechanical means, as noted above, include axes, hammers, saws, and also such things as jackhammers, torches, and the like. One problem with previous wall-breaching methods has been the hazard associated therewith. Not only is there the hazard of shrapnel, as mentioned, with the shaped charge type device, but also shock waves, overpressure, chemical poisoning, asphyxiation, and in some instances the starting of fires. It should be readily apparent that, the more explosive used, the higher the hazard. Thus, with non-load-bearing interior walls made of plaster and the like where breaching is important, it is appropriate to use a minimum amount of explosive, even to the point where operating personnel can remain nearby.
In addition to the hazards associated with existing explosives denoted above, it is important to provide a device that is easily transported by the user. Specifically, a lightweight device so that the user may carry two or three devices without being overly burdened. The device should also be easily detonated and relatively easily affixed to the barrier that is to be breached.
It is an object of this invention to overcome one or more of the disadvantages as set forth above.
In particular, it is an object of this invention to provide a lightweight easily-transportable wall breaching device.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a wall breaching device that may be utilized by emergency personnel or military troops without requiring the users to remove themselves too far from the site of the intended breach.
These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the appended drawings and the following description.